She shook her head. “Look at me, crying. If anything,I’mthe pathetic one. This whole evening, I was trying to convince you that I’m not bad at everything. I lost my job—the only thing I was good at. Now I’m wandering through life, and I can’t catch my footing.”
“I don’t think you’re pathetic,” I whispered. How could she think that? She was intelligent and driven and interesting. “I’ve been trying to impress you since I met you,” I admitted.
I brushed away another tear from her cheek, this time letting my hand linger there.
“Opening up about your past isn’t a weakness. Feelings aren’t flaws,” she said slowly, as if scared I would bolt as soon as we got to the bottom and this gondola door swung open. “And you don’t have to tell me everything in one night, but I need you to know that I want to know more about you. And I’m never judging you, okay?”
I nodded.
“I need to hear you say it.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling like putty in her hands.
She took a shaky breath in and my eyes scanned her every feature. I was still a little anxious about what I’d shared tonight, but her words grounded me. This wasn’t the face of someone who was judging me. I had shared dark parts of myself. I had been vulnerable. And instead of cringing away, she had stepped up, wanting to see more.
“I like you,” I breathed, moving my hand to grip the back of her neck.
Frankie let out a small laugh. “Even after all that?”
“Especiallyafter all that.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Do you likemeafter all that?”
“Who said I liked you in the first place?” she asked, smiling.
That finally got a real smile to return to my face. “Shut up,” I said, lightly tugging her forward to cover her mouth with mine. I wasn’t sure if it was the emotional build up to it or what, but everything about the kiss was full of energy. My whole body felt like a live wire and each brush of her lips was causing a spark.
When I finally came up for air, I leaned down so that I could press my forehead against hers. “Was that romantic or messy?” I asked, which caused her to laugh again.
“Both?” She said it like a question.
My grin stretched as I pressed a kiss to her forehead. Shewas real in my hands, rooting me in this moment. I never wanted to let her go.
She was so different from me, yet I’d never felt more seen by anyone. She had all these aspirations and I would always be adrift. Nothing about us was meant to be, but I couldn’t help but feel like fate was telling me we were meant fornow.
SEVENTEEN
Frankie
“So this is the place?”I asked, stepping into the tiny studio apartment.
While I’d hoped the night might lead here, I hadn’t wanted to assume anything. Even though going home with a guy was something I hardly did, Oliver had a way of completely calming me down. My nerves from earlier had evaporated by this point. He’d shared more with me on this date than he ever had before. I felt like I was in—like I was in some special secret Oliver society with an ultra-exclusive membership.
“This is it.” He held up his hands and spun around the small space. “Want the tour? It’s a short one.”
I stumbled out of my boots, my entire body buzzing with anticipation.
“This is the kitchen,” he said, pointing. “And this is the living room. This is my bed. And that’s basically it.”
I forced my eyes not to linger on his bed as I stepped into his space, taking it in. To my extreme relief, the place was tidy. The bed was made and there was no trash lying around.When I caught sight of a duffel bag spilling over with clothes on the bench at the end of his bed, I froze.
“Packing?” I asked, pointing to it. The last day of the season was this Saturday. I knew we hadn’t exactly talked about it, but I thought for sure he’d tell me when he was leaving.
“Oh, ah.” He scratched the back of his neck. “That’s my bag from when I got here. I never bothered unpacking.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You’ve been here for over three weeks.”
He shrugged, giving me a sheepish grin. “I never unpack on trips.”
“But…but you’ve done laundry, right?”
